CodeRED system about to go live in Boylston

The Boylston Fire Department has announced residents are invited to add their cell phones and emails to the CodeRED emergency notification system, which is set to launch in town.

Fire Chief Joseph Flanagan said a test call will be done within the next few weeks to inform people about the system, and to check the numbers in the department's database. However, the numbers in the system are now landline numbers. CodeRED has the ability to notify cell phones and email addresses, but that information needs to be registered, Flanagan said.

“If you want it to hit your cell phone, you have to physically put that in,” Flanagan said. “If you change carriers or get a new cell phone (number), you have to change that information.”

The CodeRED system is similar to the reverse 911 system the town previously used through the Worcester County Sheriff's Office. It allows town officials “to inform residents, business owners and even people driving through the community of emergencies such as major fires, power outages, water main breaks, shelter openings, road closures, and law enforcement activities,” a press release from the Fire Department states.

Flanagan said he expects the system to be used less than 10 times per year.

“Ideally, if we never had to use it, that would be great,” he said. “But, hopefully, we'll only need it five or six times per year.

“When you have a big storm, you get 1,000 people calling the Light Department asking when their power will be restored, during times like that, we might put out a daily message notifying people what sections of town would be restored that day,” he said.

The system, which is run through Emergency Communication Network of Florida, is being funded mainly through an Emergency Management Performance Grant received by the Boylston Fire Department along with funding from the Boylston Municipal Light Department and the Boylston Water Department, the release states.

“he CodeRED system gives municipal department heads a much needed communication tool to alert residents in the event of an emergency,” the release states. “The fire department sought funding for this program after identifying the need to be able to rapidly broadcast important information to members of the community. Past weather emergencies have proven the difficulty in getting information out to the public in a timely fashion. The town had participated in a reverse 911 system sponsored by the Worcester County Sheriff's Office but this system was not reliable.”

It has been noted in the past that, during the 2008 ice storm, the sheriff's reverse 911 system failed. CodeRED is now in use in West Boylston, Shrewsbury and Sterling, among other towns, Flanagan said.

Flanagan said emergency messages can be initiated by the fire chief, police chief, municipal light department manager, water department superintendent or the town administrator. Messages will go out to all residents, businesses, and anyone else who signs up for the program.

Residents and business owners can sign up for the program through a link on the town's website, www.boylston-ma.gov or the Fire Department website, www.boylstonfire.org. Links direct residents to the CodeRED Community Notification Enrollment Page.

Residents without internet access can sign up by calling the Boylston Fire Department business line at (508) 869-2342 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

“Fire department members will be happy to take down resident information and enter it into the CodeRED system,” the release states.

Community Notification Enrollment forms will also be available at Town Hall.

The CodeRED system also has a mobile application where people driving through the community can receive emergency notifications on their cell phones. This application is a free download for smart phones.

Inquiries regarding the program can be sent to boylstoncodered@gmail.com or by contacting the Boylston Fire Department.

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